1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for determining one or more navigation path options for a visitor to a World Wide Web site and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for determining one or more navigation path options provided to the visitor or selected by the World Wide Web site based on search or query terms provided by the visitor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The World Wide Web (the “Web”) provides a breadth and depth of information to users. Typically, a user accesses portions of the information by visiting a World Wide Web site (“Web site”). For example, a user interested in learning more about the history and collection National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., USA, may visit its Web site (www.nga.gov). A user desiring to learn more about the products available at Nordstoms may visit the company's web site at www.nordstoms.com.
Companies and merchants typically develop and operate web sites to make their information about themselves and their goods and services more readily available to potential customers or other interested parties. Likewise, government institutions and agencies, universities, libraries, non-profit organizations, etc. also develop and operate Web sites to make information more easily available to the public.
Due to the rapid growth of the Web and the number of Web sites accessible via the Web, it may be difficult for a user looking for information about a particular topic to determine if a Web site exists that contains such information, which Web site to go to, or what the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is for a web site of interest. As a result of a desire by users to search for relevant Web sites related to the users' topics of interests, some Web sites provide search engines or other capabilities that allow users to provide one or more search terms or keywords. For example, the Web site provided by iWon, Inc., of Irvington, N.Y., USA, provides a search capability on the home page of its Web site at www.iwon.com.
Once a user enters one or more search terms or keywords, the search engine provides search results based on the search terms or keywords. Typically such search results include a list or one or more Web sites or other locations or URLs that may be related to the search terms or keywords. The list may include one or more links to the Web sites, locations, URLs, etc. in search results that the user can select or “click” on. Thus, the user can decide which navigation path to follow by deciding which of the Web sites, locations, URLs, etc. to go to.
Unfortunately, conventional search engines available at Web sites do not direct navigation path options that may be automatically provided or implemented by the Web sites, or selected by a visitor to the Web sites who has entered one or more search terms or keywords into the search engines. Thus, despite the state-of-the-art in Web sites and search engines, there remains a need for a method and apparatus for determining navigation path options available to a visitor to a Web site based on the search terms or keywords supplied by the visitor.